An Arouca mother of two accused of impersonating an attorney to defraud seven people was yesterday granted $450,000 bail.

Rose Smith, also known as Rose Howai, 40, of Cedar Drive, Arouca, was granted the bail when she appeared before Port-of-Spain Magistrate Cheron Raphael charged with offences allegedly committed between 2010 and last year.

She is accused of defrauding four of her victims, from Port-of-Spain and San Juan, of a total of $321,430 and US$3,391. Her three other victims, from Maloney, Arouca and Piarco, were allegedly defrauded of $132,410.

Smith allegedly took the money from her victims to resolve their various and unconnected long-standing court cases.

She pleaded not guilty to the four charges which took place in Port-of-Spain and San Juan but was not called upon to plead on the remaining charges which have been transferred to the Arima Magistrates Court.

Police prosecutor Joseph Logan objected to bail for Smith, who was arrested by Fraud Squad detectives near the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain, last Wednesday.

He told the court the police had an issue in confirming Smith’s address because when they visited the property her ex-husband told them she no longer lived there.

Logan also claimed Smith had been charged with a similar offence last October and failed to report to police weekly as required under the terms of her bail.

However, Smith’s lawyer Herbert Charles denied the police’s claims about her address. He told the court the couple was not separated and his client’s reporting conditions had been removed by the magistrate hearing the previous case.

After hearing both sets of submissions, Raphael granted Smith bail only for the matters before her. As part of the conditions of bail, she was ordered to report to the Arouca Police Station four times weekly.

Smith remained in custody, however, as she has to wait to appear in Arima, next Wednesday on the remaining charges.

In September 2007, Smith was screened and selected by the People’s National Movement (PNM) to contest the Arouca/Maloney seat in that year’s general election. Her nomination was withdrawn after she was charged with five unrelated fraud offences. She is expected to reappear before Raphael on May 5.

Police have detained a Rio Claro man in connection with the murder of his neighbour who was struck to the head.

Relatives of the dead man, Bisnath Askaran, said the incident took place around 2.30 am at Riverside Road, Rio Claro.

An autopsy yesterday revealed that Askaran died from head injuries consistent with blunt force trauma.

Police said the injuries were inconsistent with the story they had received and are doing further investigations.

Police said the suspect and the deceased were childhood friends.

Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, a relative of Askaran, a father of one, left his home around 2 am to go to a neighbour’s home.

The relative said Askaran, who was described as “real small,” was hit twice in the head after banging on a neighbour’s wall.

According to police report, the suspect reported that Askaran, 42 had attempted to break into his home and was hit on the head and fell down.

The mother of a three-year-old girl who perished in a house fire on Sunday yesterday ignored social media critics for leaving a 14-year-old in charge of five children.

Abigaile Mota said if the police must charge her in relation to the child’s death, then so be it.

Little Tyran Garcia died from smoke inhalation at her Herman Gerard Avenue, Malabar home. Her siblings managed to run out of the house to safety after a mattress caught fire.

Responding to allegations that she is an unfit mother, Mota, 37 said people are saying whatever they wanted to say.

In a four-minute long telephone interview Mota said she had nothing to say to her accusers.

“I have nothing to say about that. For people to say anything they have to know what they saying,” Mota said adding that she was “running up and down dealing with the funeral”.

“I regret not being home because at the end of the day I lost a child,” she said.

On Sunday, the child’s father, Terron Garcia, said he had begged Mota for custody of the child but he was denied and at one point contemplated taking the matter to Family Court but later decided against it.

Asked about the father’s desire to raise his child Mota said she does not regret that decision.

“For what? Why would I regret that decision, I will never regret my child being home with me than being with her father,” adding that there were other issues at hand that she did not want to disclose.

Mota said her other five children who lived with her are staying by friends and family. Relatives said Tyran will be buried tomorrow following a church service at The Church of the Incarnation, Maloney.

Mota and the child’s stepfather Terrance Wilson, were questioned by police on Tuesday for close to two hours before being released. Wilson was at work when he got the news of the fire.

Police said that some of the information they were receiving were “not adding up” and they wanted to speak to the children and adults again.

There’s no decision to use a barge alone to transport cargo to Tobago after the Super fast Galicia’s contract ends, since the barge is only one of several options which the new Port Authority of T&T board will consider, Works Minister Rohan Sinanan has assured.

“It was never an option to use the barge alone. We made it quite clear the barge was proposed as transport only for construction materials and heavy vehicles as an option after Galicia’s run ends,” Sinanan added yesterday.

He spoke after the swearing-in of the new port board headed by Allison Lewis. Lewis is a former long-standing permanent secretary and stalwart of the Finance Ministry. She’s worked on many annual budgets and in Finance divisions, is a member of Government’s Economic Advisory Board and has been a career public servant apart from serving on other business boards.

Other board members are vice chairman Adrian Beharry (local and international maritime expert), Brandon Primus (insurance attorney), Suzette Baptiste (civil engineer), Dexter Jaggernauth (economist) and former Tobago Chamber president Tommy Elias.

The board got down to work immediately yesterday, focusing on the Tobago cargo transport issue, simmering recently as the lease of the Super Fast Galicia ends April 21.

Sinanan shrugged off criticism by Tobago business stakeholders who called for Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to remove him for his alleged insistence on the use of a barge to transport cargo although they’d rejected the barge idea.

Sinanan said he was appointed by the PM and if the PM called to remove him, he was “here...”

However, Sinanan said apart from the proposal of the barge to carry cargo, use of the T&T Spirit and T&T Express vessels are also on the table.

“The barge was proposed to carry only non-perishable building materials - sand, cement, gravel etcetera - plus heavy trucks and other vehicles. Perishables like food etcetera could be carried on the other vessels,” he said.

He said lot of other options are also incoming, adding the Galicia’s operators also said they have three or four vessels but the board will examine all proposals and negotiate.

Sinanan said tenders for a cargo vessel for the medium term to replace the Galicia after April 21, when Galicia does its last sailing, were now a priority.

He said the administration of 2014 had fallen down on the Galicia issue, since the vessel then had been on a six-month lease which turned into a three-year contract without any planning for the future.

He said apart from the fact the vessel was weak in five out of seven areas cited in a consultant’s report, there were challenges regarding infrastructure for the Galicia. Since it has been docked outside the Hyatt Regency complex, the Hyatt is now bringing claims against Government for damages, he said. Truck and barge costs to shift cargo are also involved in Galicia’s use.

“ ... And when cruise vessels arrive we have to decide of they can dock, or if Galicia docks so goods can be sent to Tobago. Someone didn’t think this whole situation through - we cannot continue like that,” he said.

Port chairman Lewis said the board will contact stakeholders, including the Tobago Chamber, as soon as possible to resolve issues with the sea bridge.

“I’m a team player,” Lewis added.

She assured there would be no splits in this new board after the last one resigned. On whether the port can become lucrative, Lewis said this wasn’t impossible since it had done well in the 1990s.

A proposal which could see a vessel to replace the Super Fast Galicia in Trinidad and Tobago waters before the end of April is now being considered by the new Port Authority board.

Inter-Continental managing director John Powell yesterday told the T&T Guardian they presented three options to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works and Transport and port officials on Monday. The options are for a vessel to arrive in the country in 15 days, a vessel in 21 days or a vessel to get here by the end of May.

Powell left yesterday for Spain, where he will meet with the owners of the Galicia, Transmed.

“I am going to thank them for the service the vessel provided for Trinidad and Tobago in the past three years and to apologise for the bad PR which they got in light of all that has happened,” Powell said.

He said it is important for the country to remain in Transmed’s good books because “it is important that we keep a good relationship with Transmed because we never know when next we may need a vessel and they will be able to help. I want to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago remains high on their list.”

The Galacia, he said, had served the country well for three years “with no breakdowns, it was efficient and we have to be thankful for that service which benefited the people and stakeholders in Tobago.”

The Galicia makes its final trip to Tobago on April 21, following which it will depart for Gibraltar.

While in Europe, Powell said he will also be meeting with brokers in the search for a replacement vessel.

Contacted yesterday, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said he was aware Powell had made “some proposals. A file came to me, but these are tenderers and as line minister I have to be careful getting involved.”

He said Powell’s proposals were passed to the new Port Authority board headed by Allison Lewis. (See other story)

Before leaving for Europe, Powell told the T&T Guardian he was concerned about statements made by Sinanan that people were putting personal interests above the needs of the country.

He said, “I am surprised he would say something like that. At a meeting with the Minister on December 12th I told him we wanted to purchase the Super Fast. We are a local company, we would be providing employment for locals, port workers and the seamen.

“The benefit of the purchase would have been to the country. We were negotiating with a local bank to pay for the vessel in TT dollars, once the vessel was purchased it would be in local waters and not leave Trinidad and Tobago.”

But Sinanan yesterday said he stood by the statement “there are people who want everything to stay the same way.” He said the way things have been done, “people benefit from what happens at the port, we need to change that. It must not be where only a certain group benefit.”

He said he was amazed that three tenders had gone out for a vessel in the past 17 months “and all had to be scrapped.” As line minister, he said he will not get involved in the operations “that is up to the board headed by Allison Lewis, but the Prime Minister said when you are in charge be in charge, and that is what I intend to do. I stand by what I said.”

TT CHAMBER CONCERNED

Inter-Continental managing director John Powell yesterday met for more than two hours with officials from the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, led by CEO Gabriel Faria.

He said they wanted to get a better idea of how we got to this point

“I explained to them the efforts we have been making to get the contract renewed and we even offered to buy the vessel and rebrand it the Super Fast Tobago.”

Minister Sinanan also said he had received a call from Faria, who indicated that the chamber was concerned.

“I welcomed them to come and have consultations. I would welcome Faria’s intervention. I am setting up a meeting, he will meet with the board today.”

Sinanan said “we are trying to resolve the situation. I understand how important this is to the people of Tobago and we will do everything to bring about an early resolution.”

Among its work ahead, the new Port Authority of T&T board will be examining specifications for the purchase of new fast passenger vessels for the Tobago ferry service, Works Minister Rohan Sinanan announced yesterday.

Speaking to reporters after the swearing-in of new Port board commissioners at President’s House, St Ann’s, Sinanan said the current two passenger vessels - T&T Spirit and T&T Express - are old and coming to an end of their cycle.

He said Cabinet has approved purchase of new passenger vessels and the board would start by examining specifications necessary for purchase.

There had been problems with the T&T Express recently and it didn’t sail on Monday when it was due to return to the sea bridge. Sinanan said this was because the vessel had to obtain certification, which couldn’t have been done last Sunday .

Regarding other developments ahead, he said the port also has to be dredged and may require constant dredging. The new board, which will be headed by Allison Lewis, will decide the extent to which it will be dredged, he added.

Government may also consider extra berthing facilities for the port, since the facility has to be upgraded. He said the new board has been challenged to obtain an upgrade plan.

President Anthony Carmona, who administered the oath of office to board members, urged them to look forward and not back at the former board. Saying there was a long road ahead, he urged them to endeavour to make the port lucrative and quipped they should charge fees in US dollars rather than TT.

Carmona said he was impressed with their resumes and urged members not to be intimidated by misinformation, misinterpretation or negative things that may be said about them. He said he was happy the board had Tobago representation, since there were issues with the old transport system and “we need to get it right.”

Meanwhile, passengers complained of a delay of the ferry service and being stranded at the Port of Port-of-Spain, after the early sailing of the T&T Express was pushed to 4 pm.

Passengers said that they waited as early as 3 am for the vessel and the delay in sailing was a recurring issue.

Yesterday, the PATT said things would normalise from today as both the T&T Spirit and the T&T Express will be operational. 

The two suspects who were held for the murder of Melissa Mohammed-Ramkissoon were released yesterday.

Police said the instructions to release the men came from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. However, police said investigations are ongoing and they are awaiting results of forensic analysis, which would be beneficial to their case. The men are both relatives of Mohammed-Ramkissoon.

Mohammed-Ramkissoon, 33, of Cedar Hill, Claxton Bay was pronounced dead in the parking lot of the Chaguanas Police Station on April 4.

A report stated that she was in a white Nissan Tiida with both suspects and were heading to Felicity when an argument broke out. One of the suspects told police that he heard a gunshot and when he looked at Mohammed-Ramkissoon she was slumped in the front passenger seat. He said the other relative ran out of the car. On realizing that Mohammed-Ramkissoon had been shot, he drove straight to the Chaguanas station for help. A .38 revolver was found on the floor of the car. The other suspect later surrendered to Freeport police when he heard that he was wanted for questioning.

The two suspects who were held for the murder of Melissa Mohammed-Ramkissoon were released yesterday.

Police said the instructions to release the men came from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. However, police said investigations are ongoing and they are awaiting results of forensic analysis, which would be beneficial to their case. The men are both relatives of Mohammed-Ramkissoon.

Mohammed-Ramkissoon, 33, of Cedar Hill, Claxton Bay was pronounced dead in the parking lot of the Chaguanas Police Station on April 4.

A report stated that she was in a white Nissan Tiida with both suspects and were heading to Felicity when an argument broke out. One of the suspects told police that he heard a gunshot and when he looked at Mohammed-Ramkissoon she was slumped in the front passenger seat. He said the other relative ran out of the car. On realizing that Mohammed-Ramkissoon had been shot, he drove straight to the Chaguanas station for help. A .38 revolver was found on the floor of the car. The other suspect later surrendered to Freeport police when he heard that he was wanted for questioning.

Annmarie Bunsee, the mother of murder victim Kern Alleyne, is adamant the 24-year-old was no criminal.

Speaking with the media shortly after viewing her son’s body on Monday, Alleyne said reports indicating her son was a criminal were hurting the family, including his four-year-old son.

Rather, she said her son was lured to his death.

Other female relatives completed her sentences after she broke down in tears. The women, all friends of Alleyne, said he was at a bar with his father when he received a call. After walking away a car sped towards his direction and Alleyne was shot. The killers took his phone before speeding off.

Police reported that around 8 pm on Friday residents of St Francois Valley Road heard several gunshots and later found Alleyne’s bullet-riddled body.

The aspiring chef lived at Zed Road, Belmont, and worked at the Mariott Hotel as a chef’s assistant. He was described as a man “who could real cook.” His mother said her son was a ladies man and not a criminal and any link to him and criminality is a falsehood. She also called for justice, noting another of her sons was killed eight years ago and no one was held.

Also seeking to clear the air on misconceptions were relatives of Ayinda Williams, 20, a handy-man who was also killed on Friday.

Police said around 2.45 pm a car drove along Old St Joseph Road and stopped outside a house Williams was in. A gunman then opened fire, killing Williams on spot. Williams, police said, was killed because of an ongoing war in the area. His killing came one day after Guyanese national Raphael Collins was murdered.

The murder of Kenno Barnum, who was gunned down while driving along Erica Street on Sunday, is also being linked to the war. Barnum, 38, was blocked by a vehicle around 3.30 pm and shot. He was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.

The murders of Williams, Barnum and Collins all took place off the Old St Joseph Road, Laventille, which borderlines between the two warring gangs and relatives of each man said they were innocent. Relatives of Barnum suggested it was a case of tit-for-tat, where innocent men from one area were being avenged by the killing of other innocent men in another.

Police said they had heightened their patrols in the community in the wake of the killings.

The former Chairman of the Port Authority, Christine Sahadeo, is reported to have commissioned an evaluation of the suitability of the Superfast Galicia without the knowledge of the Board.

A report compiled by Captain Alfred McMillan of Magellan Maritime Services Ltd identified six short-comings of the vessel and recommended that it be replaced.

According to documents obtained by the T&T Guardian, McMillan was asked by former chairman of the Port Authority to give his views “on the MV Galicia used by the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT) for cargo handling between Trinidad and Tobago.”

In his report dated March 29, 2016, McMillan identified six shortcomings and recommended that a more suitable vessel be found.

McMillan said the Galicia “is too large for trade purposes and a new berth has to be built to accommodate her.”

He also expressed concern that while the vessel “has a number of decks, however, an entire deck is unusable.” The deck, he said, was converted for another type of cargo and could not be used “for carriage of vehicles. This is a current cost and reduces the capacity of the vessel.”

McMillan felt that “fuel costs for such a vessel are considerable when set against the volume of cargo it is currently suited to carry.”

He noted in his report that the “cost of the fuel is borne by the government and is of academic interest to the owners,” of the vessel.

He was also concerned that the “daily charter rate for such a large vessel is exorbitant when a vessel of this size is not fully utilised.”

According to McMillan, “the cargo carried by the Warrior Spirit and the MV Galicia, is the carrying capacity of the Warrior Spirit alone which is also under-utilised.”

In addition, he said, the “Superfast Galicia incurs many added costs because of the berthing configuration which is unsuitable.” He noted that “there has been a barge hired to use as the landing facility for the stern ramp every time we have to use the Galicia.” The barge, he said, “comes at an additional daily cost of US$1,100.”

The operational cost of the vessel, he said, was further pushed up by added insurance and he recommended that the Port “discontinue the extravagance of chartering the vessel.”

Based on the concerns raised in the report, McMillan said he been asked to secure a vessel “within a two to three week period.”

In that report submitted in April, McMillan identified six vessels to replace the Galicia: the MV Straitsman which was at the time trading in New Zealand, the MV Hammer Rodde, trading in Denmark, the MV Levante, which was on Charter up to December 2016 in the Mediterranean, the MV Daltivia which he said “could be made available for sale if the owners can find a replacement, the MV Clipper Ranger, which is a freight only vessel and which the owners “want to sell,” providing they agree to the “conditions of sale, and the MV Ocean Queen, which was described as a car-truck carrier and which was “immediately available for sale.”

Of the six , McMillan recommended the MV Hammer Rodde, which he said “was most likely to meet the requirements of those instructing me.”

The T&T Guardian tried to contact both McMillan and Sahadeo without success.

Asked why the board did not act on McMillan’s report, former member of the Board of the Port Authority, Ferdie Ferreira said “all of this happened without the input of the Board. I never saw these documents because they never came to the board.”

Ferreira said as far as he knew Magellan was retained to “manage the Inter-Island Ferry service.”

He described McMillan as “a master mariner who is well qualified.” But he said requesting a report on the Galicia and making recommendations for a replacement vessel “did not come from the Board. We never knew about that.”

He recalled that when Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan invited the Board to a meeting, “the former Chairman invited McMillan, to sit in. The Minister asked who he was. He was asked to leave the meeting because it was a meeting with the Board.”

Ferreira said “we were not aware that someone else was doing something without our knowledge,” and the Board recommended an 18-month contract for the Galicia which would have ended in October this year.”

He said had that contract been signed “that would have given us the time we needed to examine all options and we would not be in the situation we are in today.”

The recommendation to extend the contract for 18 months, he said, was taken to Cabinet by the then Minister Fitzgerald Hinds but it was not approved and no one has said why. Maybe it was rejected on the basis of the McMillan report,” he speculated.

Efforts to contact Hinds proved futile.

Demand is the quantity of a product that is desired by buyers. Supply is how much the market can offer. Price is a reflection of supply and demand. Got it?

After Carnival, during the period leading up to the Good Friday (April 14), fish will be in high demand. The oceans will suddenly become “rough” and fish will be scarce.

After Good Friday everything, price included, will revert to normal.

It does not stop there.

During the period leading up to Eid (June 26, to be confirmed) there will be an escalation of both meat and vegetable prices.

Moving right along to the period before and on Divali (October 18) vegetable prices will go through the roof.

Food that people refused to eat for the year will suddenly become fit for a king and cost a king’s ransom.

For Christmas (December 25) meat prices will rise like that. In T&T there is no discrimination; vendors rob Christians, Hindus and Muslims alike. Trini know crime.

If the price of an item rises unjustly men and women will say they bought ten pounds just to show off. Vendors are fully aware of that fact.

In the USA, Canada and right over in Venezuela it stays on the shelves.

The God of our hearts and realisation does not care what we eat.

We all age, get ill and perish, there is no discrimination.

AV Rampersad

Princes Town

The daylight murder of a Maracas/St Joseph man triggered anger among residents yesterday who linked the crime to the lack of order in the criminal underworld.

Residents said since the murder of reputed Maracas/StJoseph gang leader Kerlan “Miceman” George earlier this year “the place have no order”.

George and another man, Shameel Ali, were shot dead on January 19, a short distance for the district’s police station.

Yesterday, two gunmen shot and killed Kareem Fernando as he sat on some steps off La Mango Road reading newspapers.

Friends of Fernando cried openly as his body remained slouched on some steps for hours. They said he was killed in “his spot”.

Police said that around 11.40 am residents heard what they thought was the sound of galvanize banging and later found the body of the 30-year-old man. Two men were seen running away from the scene.

Fernando’s friends said he was arrested once some years ago for cultivating marijuana but that he should not be labelled as a drug dealer and his death should not be classified as drug-related since he was employed as a labourer with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Re-Afforestation programme.

Police could not give a motive for his killing since Fernando was not known to them to be involved in any criminal activity.

Residents say Fernando, who they called “Brain” was killed because there was an imbalance in the underworld in the area.

“Since they kill d’ boss (Kerlan “Miceman” George) everything outta order we don’t have a leader again, the place have no order. I was telling the police that he used to keep the place under control, now anything is anything,” one resident said.

Residents said Fernando was a peacemaker.

Fernando’s sister Tennille said her brother was a quiet man who mostly kept to himself and lived alone.

She said like most of the killings for the year, she did not expect her brother’s murder to be solved.

In an unrelated killing, police were up to yesterday unsure of a motive for the killing of 23-year-old Akeil Mitchell who was shot dead outside his Windy Hill, Arouca home on Tuesday night.

According to police reports around 10.35 pm residents heard gunshots and later found Mitchell in his underwear to the back of his home with bullet wounds to the head.

Police suspected that Mitchell was ambushed as he was about to take a bath to the back of his home.

The latest killings have taken the number of people murdered for the year to 148.

Chief Justice Ivor Archie yesterday defended the process used by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC) for the selection and appointment of judges.

Addressing reporters after a swearing in ceremony for three new High Court Judges at the Office of the President yesterday, Archie sought to explain the process to dispel what he described as “unfair and uninformed criticism” of the JLSC, which he also chairs.

“This is about about bare the process because we take a lot of trouble to find the best people. We are the only branch of Government that has published and publicly articulated criteria for appointments,” Archie said.

The newly-appointed judges are former chief magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar, former magistrate Avason Quinlan-Williams, wife of acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams, and attorney Kevin Ramcharan.

Last week, Opposition senator Gerard Ramdeen questioned the process in the appointment of judges and called for more transparency.

Reading from a legal notice on the criteria for the recruitment of judges issued in April 2000, Archie said that the process had always been transparent despite claims to the contrary.

“It is important as well that the public knows that anyone who is appointed has been through one of the most rigorous selection processes you can find anywhere in the region or Commonwealth,” he said.

Among the criteria used, Archie said candidates were selected based on their professional competence, integrity, temperament and experience.

“With professional competence we consider legal training and knowledge, intellectual and analytical ability, mature and objective judgement, communication and organisational skills and interest in developing the law,” Archie said.

He noted that prospective candidates were required to sit an exam to objectively assess their intellectual and analytical ability and underwent a psychometric assessment from an independent service provider to judge their emotional balance and decisiveness. They were also required to submit reference letters from competent persons who are able to assess their suitability for the job based on the JLSC’s criteria.

“Every candidate would have been subjected to a rigorous interview. I am surprised that some of them have not changed their minds halfway through the torture we put them through. The fact that they survived and come through that process successfully, I think it is testament to the calibre of persons that we have among the bench today,” Archie said.

Archie also responded to criticism by Ramdeen over the appointment of Appellate Judge Andre Des Vignes ahead more senior judges.

Stating that seniority was not the main criteria for the process, Archie said: “The commission in its constitutional remit may appoint outstanding candidates from wherever they find them, within or outside the Judiciary, and seniority and length of service, while it would be taken into account is not the only factor nor is it a governing factor.”

Archie also said that he was pleased that the all three new judges had decades of previous judicial experience, Ayers-Caesar and Quinlan-Williams who were magistrates and Ramcharan, who had served as a assistant registrar of the High Court in the past.

“That is particularly significant development because the JLSC has heard over the years criticism from magistrates who felt that they had been overlooked for consideration for appointment to what we have termed the “Higher Judiciary”- an expression that I don’t like because we are all judicial officers,” Archie said.

President Anthony Carmona also praised the new judges as he said they all displayed competence and diligence in their careers thus far.

Carmona, himself a former High Court Judge, even said that he was impressed by their early work when he served as Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions.

Truckloads of goods destined to Tobago were turned away yesterday leaving scores of angry drivers who had confirmed tickets to board the Super Fast Galicia.

Trucks carrying the cargo, including cement, soft drinks and other items were seen leaving the area at 2.30 pm yesterday when the vessel was about to sail to Tobago.

One driver, who spoke to the T&T Guardian on the condition of anonymity, said he was upset as he it was the second consecutive day he had be denied entry on the vessel, although he had a confirmed ticket.

He said he and other drivers were told that the vessel was full and could not accommodate any more cargo.

He said the drivers were normally allowed to park their trucks at the Caricom jetty but were told that they should not park there and many cars were seen in that area.

The driver said he was told to return to the port this morning to be able to travel. He said he was seeking to transport $90,000 in cement for the Tobago House of Assembly.

Some claim that cargo from a major contractor was allowed to board the vessel.

Another official said cars which are usually transported on the fast ferry were allowed on board the Galicia.

Earlier there was tension on the port as some people claimed that their foodstuff were not being allowed on the vessel because of the amount of construction material being loaded.

Other drivers also expressed their disgust at the situation, saying it was very frustrating.

Contacted for comment yesterday, Marketing and Public Relations Manager at the Trinidad & Tobago Inter Island Transport Corporation Vilma Lewis-Cockburn said she was unaware of the developments but promised to look into it.

There is usually a significant increase in commuters to Tobago for the Easter weekend, which begins tomorrow and ends next week Monday.

The man accused of murdering Mayaro mother Ria Ramlochan and her baby 11 years ago wept yesterday after he was sentenced to hang for the crime.

 As tears ran down his cheeks, Anand Baboolal, 40, looked at his family and shook his head as he was led out of the San Fernando Third Assizes by police officers to be taken to death row.

The 12-member jury took about two hours to find him guilty on both counts of murder.

 When asked by Justice Althea Alexis-Windsor after she read the death sentence twice to him whether he had anything to say, Baboolal whispered each time, “No ma’am.”

 Speaking briefly with reporters outside the court, Ramlochan’s father Krishna Sookoo said the trial brought back sad memories of when they were murdered. While he was happy to get justice after so long, Sookoo said before he walked away, “It have no hangman.”

 Baboolal is accused of killing Ramlochan, 26, with whom he shared a common-law relationship and her son, 18-month-old Ishmael Timothy Ragbir, on August 10, 2005 at her Solomon Street, Pierreville, Mayaro home. 

He dumped Ramlochan’s body in a latrine and the baby’s body in the Mafeking River.

 An autopsy revealed the baby was stabbed and cut more than 14 times about his tiny body while his mother was stabbed three times in the chest and abdomen.

 No one witnessed the murders. It was only discovered that the mother and son had been murdered when baby Ishmael’s decomposing body was fished out of the river. Ramlochan’s decomposing body was subsequently found in a latrine pit near their home. 

Her foot was protruding from inside the pit. Baboolal was arrested by Insp Alexis Garcia and Sgt Azam Hamid held Baboolal at a camp at Torrib Tabaquite Road, New Grant, a day after the bodies were discovered.

Baboolal gave a statement to officers Garcia and Hamid where he claimed Ramlochan had attacked him with a knife  in her bedroom. He claimed they struggled and he got the knife from her and stabbed her by mistake.

Baboolal told the police in the statement that the baby was next to her on the bed.

However, he claimed he blanked out after Ramlochan got stabbed and the next thing he remembered was waking up by his brother.

Baboolal opted not to give evidence at his trial. However,  through his attorneys, Rekha Ramjit and Gina Ramjohn, he claimed officer Garcia put a gun to his head and threatened to kill him and his brother if he did not  sign the documents.

He said he did not know what was written on the documents because he could not read and write.

T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce CEO Gabriel Faria says the chamber “stands firmly behind a transparent procurement process” in the acquisition of an inter-island cargo ferry.

His comment came after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday raised concerns that the Chamber seemed to have change its position on procurement in the issue of the acquisition of a vessel for the inter-island service.

Speaking about the issue during yesterday’s Morning Brew on CNC3, Rowley said: “There was a time when the chamber was strong in saying we want proper procurement mechanisms, because good procurement would protect us from corruption. We have an issue with the boat and all of a sudden procurement is not an issue any more.”

A similar concern was raised by Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan.

But in response to this yesterday, Faria told the T&T Guardian: “We have no preference or inclination to any provider of the service. We want to ensure that the people of Trinidad and Tobago can get a transparent deal.”

He explained that the only reason the Tobago Chamber had been advising the minister to speak with the current provider, Inter-Continental, was because “he presented an option. He identified a solution by the end of the April. It allows, rather than making a long term decision in haste, for Tobago to operate with a level of normalcy, while a decision is taken to benefit the country.”

Faria said the Chamber also wants to ensure that the country benefits from a solution that is “cost efficient and which will ensure a high level of service,” adding they were “extremely concerned at the current situation, which did not have to happen at all.”

The Tobago Chamber, he said, had received a letter dated May 31, 2016, from the Ministry of Works and Transport which stated that based on the recommendations of the Port Authority of T&T (PATT), approval had been granted for an 18-month contract for the Super fast Galicia ending in October 2017 and that steps were being taken regarding the execution of an agreement.

At that time, he said “the Tobago business community was relieved that there appeared to be a solution, only to be told that the tender had been scrapped.” He said it was because of this that there was the current “level of disdain with the Tobago Business community.”

He said it was “unfortunate that knowing the situation was going to happen, a more pro-active attempt was not made to deal with the matter. This was known since last year. We now hope that the port and the minister will do what is right for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Faria admitted that while the solution of the barge proposed by the minister was not ideal, “between the time the Galicia leaves and a new boat coming there will be a period when we will have to use other methods.”

The chamber, he said, has contacted its members and other businesses in Tobago, advising them to stock up before the Galicia leaves. This, he said, would at least assist for a while.

Faria said the big concern is that the consumers of Tobago will be negatively affected all round without a solution. He said in light of this people are “very emotional because of the significant impact this could have on their lives and livelihoods.”

In an effort to better understand why the situation evolved as it did, Faria met with the local agent of the Galicia, John Powell, managing director of Inter-Continental, on Tuesday. He also spoke with former works and transport Minister Stephen Cadiz, Finance Minister Colm Imbert and Sinanan.

“We now have a much more complete picture,” he said.

A meeting is also being scheduled with the Port Authority board.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is describing Trinidad and Tobago as a “violent and lawless society” and admitting that there is “no area in crime fighting” he is satisfied with as chairman of the National Security Council.

Speaking to host Hema Ramkissoon on CNC 3’s Morning Brew yesterday, Rowley also expressed his own concern about corruption in the Police Service, which he said affects the flow of information to solve crimes.

With the murder rate at close to 150 for the year, Rowley said crime is “an intractable problem. What is required is a sustained response with the expectation that there would be successes in those areas.” The litmus test, he said, is the success of security agencies, but he said “I am not satisfied with anything in the area of crime management, crime detection and suppression.”

He said the Government was trying to “build the capacity of the defence mechanisms of the police, the Coast Guard, the Defence Force, the SSA, so that they could appropriately respond to those persons who have chosen crime as a way of life, and to protect those who might become victims of crime.”

But the PM said the solution is not in dismissing the Minister of National Security.

“It is easy to say change the minister. The last government changed four or five Ministers of National Security, if changing the minister every Monday morning was the solution it would have been solved then.” Rowley also spoke of frustrations in the appointment of a Commissioner of Police.

“We have an officer acting as commissioner on eight successive occasions, it is a source of great frustration for me. I would like to have it rectified but we have no avenue.”

He said the decision is “stuck somewhere between the Director of Personnel Administration (DPA) and the Police Service Commission (PSC).” However, he said in an effort to address the crime problem the Government is “supporting the Commissioner in a variety of ways to ensure that he gets the best from the men and women working under him.” Rowley said they had established the Security Services Agency (SSA) “as a more well organised information gathering unit to help the police.” But he said having information does not mean that information “will be used in the best way.”

But the PM admitted that corruption in the police service was an issue. “It is fundamental to the creation of a police service that the population can trust, and that the officers can trust their colleagues, otherwise the police service will be operating without information. Unfortunately, in Trinidad and Tobago that is what we are working with.”

He noted that in past five years the state had spent $25 billion on crime fighting.

The PM also described the courts as “a place to park matters” and lamented that when the government goes to Parliament “to change the laws to handle things differently, people say leave it so because human rights of citizens affected. But when a criminal kills, the human rights of the person is also affected.”

On the issue of white collar crime, he said: “It is not a 100-yard sprint and it is also not a marathon. You can only follow the law and we are following the law to the letter, so that when the Government acts the action can be sustained.”

What should have been a two and a half hour journey to Tobago turned into a five-hour ordeal for passengers who travelled on the T&T Express yesterday.

The vessel returned from dry dock and attempted its first trip yesterday at the Port Authority of T&T tries to ease some of the travel woes ahead of the busy Easter holiday weekend and the departure of the Super Fast Galicia after April 21.

But the return to service of the T&T Express did not go according to plan, as the fast ferry left Port-of-Spain around 8.45 am and only docked at the Scarborough Port at 1.10pm. It was scheduled to make its return trip at 12 noon.

The T&T Guardian understands that only three out of the four engines of the vessel were functioning when the ferry left Trinidad and while it attempted to birth at the Scarborough Port one of the three failed. The ferry was then taken back to sea, where technicians on board undertook repairs, allowing the vessel to dock.

The T&T Guardian was reliably informed that the vessel left Port-of-Spain on three engines as an overhaul of its engines, which commenced while it was dry docked, was not completed.

One irate passenger, who did not want to be identified, confirmed they spent hours out in the ocean with Tobago in sight. She described the situation as untenable and called for the authorities to address the matter urgently

“We were at the port since 11 pm on Monday night because we wanted to make sure we got on the boat and after not being able to board at 6.30 because of some issue, it was very frustrating. We were on the sea for hours without any explanation, it’s not until we couldn’t berth, that’s when the captain came on and said something. We had so many children and they were sick,” she said.

“They need to do something desperately, because it’s horrible. It is not a nice experience to be going through this. Every year it’s the same thing, same kinds of problem with the boats.”

Contacted for comment on the issue, PATT communications manager Velma Louis-Cockburn confirmed the vessel had a late departure from Trinidad because the fuel for the trip arrived late. She also said a technical issue caused challenges at the Scarborough port, but declined to comment on whether the issue was caused by malfunctioning engines, saying she had not yet received a full report on the matter.

Meanwhile, the T&T Spirit continues to function on all four engines. However, sources say those engines are not operating at full capacity, which renders it unable to make the normal two and half hour crossing time between both islands.

The T&T Spirit is also due for dry docking in May.

The signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Canada-based Wylde Orchid Design and Management Ltd and local firm Prime US International Ltd to construct 120,000 homes in T&T, is being seen as a solution to solving the 100,000-plus Housing Development Corporation (HDC) applicant waiting list.

Once constructed, the prices of these two and three bedroom homes will range from $650,000 to $2.5 million and cater specifically to 20,000 single parents and 10,000 senior citizens, while 50,000 will be used for the government distribution programme. The remaining 40,000 homes will be sold as high-end properties.

Construction of the first housing stock is expected to begin next February with distribution by year’s end.

The details of the MOU were revealed yesterday at a joint press conference by companies at Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s.

President and CEO of Wylde Orchid Designs and Management, Aneil Singh, said the MOA will be signed between both firms to kick start the housing developments in September.

Prime US International CEO Stephanie Bonaparte-Primus said they undertook a housing survey which showed senior citizens and single parents did not qualify for homes, while people who fell in the age bracket 18-25 were seldom provided funding to purchase a home.

“In looking at these problems, we decided to develop a housing programme to assist,” she said.

Giving details about the joint partnership, Bonaparte-Primus said they had set a target to build 110,000 houses in Trinidad over a 15 to 20-year period. Tobago, she said, would benefit from 10,000 units. She said construction of these homes would bring a “solution” for the 100,000-plus HDC applicants waiting for shelter.

“Right now, based on how many houses are produced, it is not enough for the amount of people. We will cater for that crowd. We know for the next ten to 15 years that crowd should be able to get a home. This housing project would be able to have adequate buyers.”

Bonaparte-Primus said the $650,000 homes will be targeted primarily for low income earners. She said one bank has already assessed “the monthly mortgage rate for a $650,000 home at $2,000 over a 30-year period.” She said following a meeting they had with T&T Mortgage Finance, it was disclosed that 110,000 people had requested homes at the price of $850,000.

“So there is no shortage of buyers,” she said.

The businesswoman said while local contractors would benefit from these projects, 12,000 unskilled and skilled jobs are also likely to be created in the construction sector. She could not, however, give the estimated cost of the overall project since this would be based on each client’s wants and needs.

As for the land on which the homes are to be built, Bonaparte-Primus said they have been working with several local real estate companies that had already sourced land which had the necessary approvals.

“One of the main things is that we do not want to leave anyone out in this whole construction arena. All the various areas of Trinidad, we have been able to source property that persons are willing to sell to us. “ She said several major companies have already given a commitment to supply whatever building materials they need.

“We would be cutting our contracts based on the full scope and not on a part-by-part assumption,” she said.

She also admitted they have received letters of support from Royal Bank, Republic Bank, JMMB, First Citizen’s and Eastern Credit Union, while they have approached private international funding agencies, which she would reveal in the coming months.

Asked if they had approached the HDC to partner with them on this initiative, Bonaparte-Primus said they did not get an opportunity since they were engaged in talks with Wylde Orchid for support and financing in the last few months.

“So we missed that time frame. So on account of that, this is the reason why we are making the request now that someone from the ministry... can after September... when we have direct specifics on where we building, what projects, what housing…that we sit with them and negotiate with them to supply them with homes.”

Apart from housing, Bonaparte-Primus said they would also undertake an agriculture and trading initiative which would create a downstream affect and boost T&T’s flagging economy.

A surveillance operation by Southern Division police and the Transnational Organised Crime Unit led to the seizure of $15.3 million in high-grade Colombian cocaine on Tuesday.

A 27-year-old Colombian national who resided in Gasparillo, two La Romaine brothers: a 36-year-old taxi driver and a 34- year-old pipe-fitter, and an Arima taxi driver, 23, were all arrested.

They are being detained at several stations in South Trinidad for questioning.

A report stated that the officers were engaged in a 10-hour long operation coordinated by Snr Supt Zamsheed Mohammed, ASP Ali Mohammed and Insp Don Gajadhar in the La Romaine district.

Based on intelligence, the team of officers—comprising Sgt Commissiong, Sgt Parasram, Sgt Ramroop and woman Sgt Morrison—set up a road block and stopped a silver Toyota Fielder station wagon, along Rahaman Drive, La Romaine, with two male occupants.

A search of the vehicle yielded a rectangular packet containing 1.3 kg of pure cocaine with a stamp identifying that it originated from Colombia.

The 23-year-old taxi driver and the Colombian national were arrested.

Twenty-Five minutes later, the officers stopped and searched a silver Mitsubishi Lancer wagon along Bobb Street, La Romaine, driven by the La Romaine brothers.

The search resulted in nine packets, containing 9.7 kilogrammes of cocaine being found.